


you're so beautiful, i can't take my eyes off you

by thestarsalonecantell



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, References to Abuse, Secondary school AU, dotae are teaching assistants, hyuck does drama, mark does english lit, one semi graphic description of injury, yukhei isnt an arse i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 01:44:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15037976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarsalonecantell/pseuds/thestarsalonecantell
Summary: "He recognises Scene 4, as Romeo, Benvolio, Mercutio and a number of torch bearers are on stage.Then his breath catches in his throat, because the boy playing Mercutio is absolutely gorgeous"alternatively: Donghyuck is Mercutio and Mark is a panicked gay.





	you're so beautiful, i can't take my eyes off you

**Author's Note:**

> maggie's back at it again, whoopee  
> i promise i will try to work on radio romance when the summer holidays roll around  
> hope you enjoy!!! :))))

Mark had never checked out any of the drama performances before. Why would he? It's not as if he has any interest in drama. Sure, he watches movies, but mediocre school plays have never been his kind of thing.

However, he can't deny that his interest is piqued when his A level English Literature teaching assistant, who also happens to be his older brother, announces that the whole class will be sitting in on the dress rehearsal for the AS level drama class' performance of "Romeo and Juliet". 

"It'll enable you to get a better understanding of the set text, which will aid you in the Love Throughout the Ages part of the exam." Taeyong is saying, as the class is listening intently. Mark narrows his eyes, looking at his brother with some scepticism. His teacher must have jumped for joy at Taeyong's suggestion of the idea, but Mark has a sneaking suspicion that it was only suggested because the teaching assistant has a huge crush on the drama TA.

The whole class cheers when Taeyong finishes his announcement, probably glad to be able to miss some lesson time, and the TA grins before letting the teacher continue with the lesson.   


When Mark asks him about it over dinner, Taeyong, predictably, refuses to admit it. "Mr. Cooper asked me to find something linked to your set text, so I did."

"So it wouldn't be anything at all to do with your infatuation with that drama TA?" Mark teases through a mouthful of spaghetti. Taeyong whacks him around the head, asking why he had to be placed in a class with his infuriating little brother in it. "Now you get to watch a play instead of analyse the script for two hours, be grateful, you annoying child."

Mark apologises sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head because  _ouch_ , but he's inwardly gleeful, because Taeyong has inadvertently confirmed his suspicions.   
  
  


A few days later, the motley crew of 14 students, their teacher and Taeyong troop through the corridors of the school, whispering and looking through windows into classrooms.  Mr. Cooper scolds them, telling them that they should act like the respectable sixth formers that they are, but Yukhei responds that they're all thirteen years old at heart, "just like you, sir." The teacher smiles at the blatant display of flattery and doesn't try to reign them in anymore, but Taeyong grimaces, telling Yukhei that Jungwoo - former student and Head Boy, and Yukhei's boyfriend - wouldn't be pleased to see him behaving like a child. Yukhei shuts up after that, much to Mark's relief; although he really does like the guy, he happens to be very loud.

Soon, they enter the hall where the drama class are rehearsing for the play, and Mark strategically walks in behind Taeyong. The tall, black-haired teaching assistant for drama greets them all, directing them to where they should sit and saying, "I hope you enjoy it!" cheerfully. From Mark's well-chosen position, he can see the way his older brother hangs onto every word spoken by the other TA, eyes not leaving his face once.

The teenager laughs quietly to himself. It's just like Taeyong to be crushing on someone whose name he doesn't even know. Although, in all fairness, he does have good taste, because despite being disproportionately skinny for his height, the other teaching assistant is good looking, with high cheekbones, doe eyes and a nice smile.

Suddenly, the drama teacher, a short, intimidating woman, shouts something, and the lights go out. A disembodied voice starts speaking. 

"Two households, both alike in dignity,  
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene..."

Mark watches with interest, noticing that the Year Twelves are better at acting than he'd expected, and the lights and sound effects are very sophisticated. It helps that he knows the play well, having read the script many times, and can recite word for word the lines spoken by Sampson and Gregory. His eyes widen when they start to fight Abraham and Balthasar, and again when Tybalt and Benvolio fight. By the time Juliet, the nurse, and Lady Capulet are discussing a possible marriage to Paris, Mark has to admit he's enjoying this more than he thought he would. He also notices that while he was engrossed in the play, the drama teaching assistant has taken a seat next to Taeyong, and Mark's brother looks dazed as they discuss something in a whisper, probably to do with "Romeo and Juliet". He smiles at the sight, praying that his elder sibling will get the other guy's phone number, before looking back at the stage. He recognises Scene 4, as Romeo, Benvolio, Mercutio and a number of torch bearers are on stage.

Then his breath catches in his throat, because the boy playing Mercutio is absolutely  _gorgeous,_ with tanned skin that glows in the light. He can't take his eyes off him, even when Romeo and Benvolio speak. When Mercutio opens his mouth, saying, "Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance." Mark wants to cry at how mellifluous his voice is. He shakes his head at himself - he sounds like Taeyong, who writes songs about the "beautiful Snow White" he passes in the corridors and dreams of taking out on a date. Maybe his dream will come true, although Mark knows the songs will only get increasingly cheesier if that happens. As Mercutio makes his Queen Mab speech, Mark thanks any and every higher power out there that he is present to hear it, and when he exits, Mark can no longer focus on any other event in the play, only waiting for when he'll be able to see that face again.

Scene Five passes, and Romeo and Juliet meet, then kiss, and then Act Two starts and Mercutio is back on stage. Mark can finally pay attention to what's going on, but not really, because once more his gaze is fixed on the boy with golden skin and a captivating voice. It's not long before he exits, though, and the Year Thirteen boy is again unable to concentrate, so he gives up and directs his gaze towards Taeyong instead. His brother seems to be bickering with the other TA about something, although going by the smiles on both of their faces, it appears to be playful, which is a good sign. He watches them for a while, smiling when the drama assistant touches Taeyong on the shoulder lightly, and the latter looks like he forgets how to function properly. He can hear Romeo talking to Friar Lawrence on the stage.

A minute later, he hears  _that voice_  asking, "Where the devil should this Romeo be?" and sure enough, when he looks, Mercutio is on the stage. Then after a short while, he goes off again- Mark tries to quench the disappointment he feel at the boy's absence from the stage.

The next time Mercutio enters the stage, it's his death scene. He's an extraordinary actor, and for a second, Mark thinks he might actually be dying when he rasps out, "A plague o' both your houses!" before being escorted off stage by Benvolio. Then he feels a little disappointed, because he won't get to see him again before the end of the play.

Mark watches the rest of it with little to no interest, even when Romeo and Juliet both tragically meet their ends. He does, however, think that the whole cast are great actors and actresses, and feels a little guilty for assuming they wouldn't be. As they leave the hall, Taeyong walks over to him, sliding his phone into his pocket as he does so. "So what did you think?" He asks, as the rest of the class walk ahead, led by Mr Cooper, who is chatting away about the benefits of seeing "Romeo and Juliet" in the form it was written as.

"It was surprisingly really good." Mark replies, then smirks. "I saw you weren't paying much attention to the stage."

The tips of Taeyong's ears go pink, a sure sign that he's embarrassed. "I-" He doesn't seem to be able to find any words, so Mark puts him out of his misery and asks, "Did you get his number?"

"Yeah." Taeyong smiles widely, and the younger thinks that he must really like this other dude.

"Then it was worth it."

When they get back into the English classroom, the bell rings for lunch and the teacher dismisses them. The first thing Mark does is head to the sixth form canteen, where he meets Jeno Lee, his best friend in Year Twelve.

"Maths sucks dude." The younger boy complains as they sit down with their lunch. "Why did I decide to take it for AS Level?"

"Did you just have Maths?" Jeno nods. "I just spent the last two hours watching a play." Mark doesn't mean to brag, but really he kind of does, and Jeno groans in disbelief and jealousy.

"Is that the 'Romeo and Juliet' one that the people in my year are putting on?"

"Yup." Mark lifts a forkful of his lasagne, blowing on it before popping it in his mouth.

"I know someone in that play." Jeno says, and Mark looks up at him, hope rising in his chest-"Jaemin Na, my seat partner in Economics and my friend. He plays Tybalt, I think." 

The elder's hope dies, though he still can't help but ask, "Any idea who plays Mercutio?"

"Actually, yeah I do, Jaemin's mentioned it. It's his best friend, Donghyuck Lee. He's also in my Economics class, although I don't know him as well."

Donghyuck Lee. Mark commits the name to memory, noticing that they have the same surname. "Thanks, Jeno."

"Their other best friend is in Economics too, but doesn't do Drama." Jeno blurts out before shutting his mouth immediately, and this statement is quite random in Mark's opinion, which makes him curious, so he says exactly what he thinks, "That's quite random." watching his best friend all the while.

"Just giving you some extra information, since you're so curious." the younger mutters, but he doesn't meet Mark's eye, and the latter thinks he's just about figured it out already.

"Who is this other best friend, exactly?" He asks.

Jeno sill refuses to look at Mark as he replies, "Renjun Huang, Year Twelve school council representative. Everyone says he's in the lineup to be the next Head Boy. Did a project with him a few weeks ago and we text sometimes. We're friends, I guess."

"Why didn't you tell me you had a crush on him earlier, dude?"

Jeno's head snaps up and his cheeks flush a bright pink. "What- it's not like that!"

"And my name is Tiberius." Mark teases, reaching over the table to pinch Jeno's cheek. "What's wrong with fancying the guy?"

"You never know round here." Jeno says, before looking around to make sure nobody's listening. "He'd probably think I'm disgusting for liking him."

"Hmm..." Mark considers this. "Well, I'm Christian, and I'm not a homophobe. In fact, I-" He remembers how he'd reacted upon seeing Donghyuck for the first time. "I think I might like guys as well as girls, Jeno."

Jeno gapes at him, the gears slowly turning in his head. "Hold on a second." He says. "Is that why you were asking about Donghyuck?" Mark nods. "Holy  _fuck_." the younger breathes. "Your mum will be okay about that, right?"

"Well, she was fine when Taeyong came out to her as gay a few weeks ago, so I guess so.  Will your parents be alright?"

"They should be, they're fine about it on the telly and stuff. Whenever they see news items about homophobia they're always like 'ah, that's stupid, who you love doesn't change who you are'. I don't want to tell them yet though."

"Fair enough."

They finish their lunch, and walk over to stack their plates on the trolley at the far corner. As they leave the canteen, Jeno talking about his 14-page Economics assignment, someone bumps into Mark.

He automatically steadies the person with hands on their arms, stepping back before asking, "Are you okay?"

It takes him a second to realise that he's staring directly at Donghyuck Lee, who for the record is even more radiant up close.

"I'm all good, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Donghyuck beams ( _beams!_ ) at him before continuing to walk, saying hi to Jeno as he passes him. Mark feels winded from the force of that smile. The younger boy is the human embodiment of the sun, he decides right then and there, before Jeno coughs, and he remembers that he should be walking.

"Bro, if you're already like that after only having talked to him once, you're fucked." Jeno whispers, trying to conceal his laughter. Mark elbows him in the side, but knows he might just be right, and it's always  _really annoying_  when Jeno's right. 

Over the weekend, Taeyong barely talks to him, too busy staring at the screen of his phone. Mark has an inkling he might know what his elder brother is doing, and a quick glance over his shoulder proves it; Taeyong is arguing with someone called Doyoung about the historical inaccuracies of the costumes used in the play they watched earlier in the week. The teenager makes sure he's far enough from the sofa to escape his brother's wrath, then says, "I'll bet any money you're texting that TA."

Taeyong rolls his eyes. "His name is Dongyoung."

"Oh really?" Mark teases. "Why is he saved on your phone as Doyoung then?"

Taeyong curses, stretches his leg out to kick his little brother playfully, curses again when his leg isn't quite long enough. "He asked me to call him Doyoung, you nosy little git." Despite his harsh words, Taeyong looks happy, smiling at Mark as he tells him to "find your own entertainment which doesn't involve reading over my shoulder." The younger mentally congratulates this Dongyoung for making his brother smile this much, but he fears for his life too much to say it out loud.

Their mother shouts at them from the kitchen for being noisy, and Taeyong sits back down, already typing something on his phone. Mark retreats to his room before dinner, thinking about how he can get to know Donghyuck Lee.

hey jeno can we buy tickets for the play

( _18:04_ )

Jeno replies straightaway, as always.

is this about ur weird thing for donghyuck that uve developed in less than three days lol  
( _18:04_ )

uh

( _18:05_ )

maybe?

( _18:05_ )

if u wanna take renjun ill just third wheel u guys from a distance

( _18:06_ )

that way donghyuck will want to talk to renjun and I can talk to him

( _18:07_ )

u want me to practically ask renjun out just so u can talk to donghyuck?  
( _18:08_ )

basically

( _18:08_ )

mark I hate to break it to u but ure a fuckin loser lol  
( _18:09_ )

im not entirely opposed to the idea tho  
( _18:10_ )

ill take him on a date first so ure not third wheeling straightaway bc that would be awkward  
( _18:11_ )

but  
( _18:11_ )

if he rejects me  
( _18:11_ )

ure taking responsibility for my heartbreak and buying me three cartons of ben and jerrys   
( _18:12_ )

jesus man ben and jerrys? that shit is expensive

( _18:13_ )

but fine

( _18:13_ )

just because he won't reject u anyway dude uve got the face of a model and u play for the football team

( _18:14_ )

yeah but that's nothing next to the future head boy who's also cute as fuck

( _18:15_ )

hes way out of my league man i can already smell the impending disaster  
( _18:15_ )

He seems to think over it for a while before texting again.

eh whatever  
( _18:17_ )

what happens, happens i guess  
( _18:17_ )

imma do it tomorrow  
( _18:17_ )   


To Jeno's surprise (although Mark predicted it all along), Renjun doesn't, in fact, reject him. Mark gets bombarded with texts from Jeno along the lines of "he kissed me!!!! on the cheek!!!!!!! and told me he already knew i liked him!!! wtf bro ive died and gone to heaven". Then he gets a text saying they'd planned the first date which means that Operation Help Mark With His Pathetic Crush (Jeno came up with the name) is underway.

Over dinner - pasta and tomato sauce- Mark asks his mum whether he can go to the play. She agrees, but warns him not to come back too late. "Taeyong? Would you like to go as well?" She asks.

"I'm already going." Taeyong laughs at seeing Mark's shellshocked expression. "Doyoung said he was going so I thought I'd accompany him."

"Oh sure," Mark says, " _accompany_  him." Taeyong glares at him.

Their mother then looks at the calendar on the wall, saying, "If it's next Friday, I'll be out anyway. There's a networking function at work and it just might be an opportunity for promotion. Make sure to cook yourselves something healthy for dinner."

Taeyong looks from his plate, gaze softening. "I'll take care of that, Mum." Neither Mark nor his elder brother mention the lack of food in the fridge, after all, that's why their mother is working so hard for this promotion after being made redundant from her previous well-paying job, to make ends meet. Taeyong's job as a teaching assistant doesn't pay much, but it's enough to make sure that the bills are paid every month, until he's finished his training to be a proper teacher. That, or his rap career takes off.

At that moment, Taeyong's phone buzzes, and he looks down at it. Mark sees the name "Doyoung" flash across the screen, and he watches Taeyong glance at their mother, silently asking for permission. She gives it, and he practically races out of the room to take the call. Mark wonders how urgent it could be that Dongyoung needs to call Taeyong now when they were out together less than an hour ago (when his brother really likes something, he doesn't waste time, a quality that Mark admires).

When Taeyong comes back in, eyebrows furrowed in an expression of concern, he shoves what's left on his plate into his mouth and leaves as quickly as is humanly possible. Mark and his mother finish their dinner in an uncomfortable silence that makes his skin crawl. 

On Monday, Jeno and Renjun go on their date. Mark sees them walking together after school ends, hand in hand. He waves and they wave back, Jeno whispering something to the shorter boy with brown hair who must be Renjun. The latter laughs, and Jeno's smile only grows wider. Mark turns away and continues in the direction of his own home, the sound of their light hearted chatter following him.

Taeyong isn't there when he gets back, and when he asks his mum, she says he didn't tell her where he was going, but only that he'd be home soon. Mark frowns, but shrugs it off,  telling himself Taeyong would be fine and the feeling of foreboding he feels is just paranoia. He focuses on his homework until Jeno texts him.

i just went on a date with renjun huang  
( _17:44_ )

i guess i should thank u because if it werent for u i wouldnt have asked him out  
( _17:44_ )

also i told him about ohmwhpc and he agreed to help lol   
( _17:45_ )

he thinks its cute that u fancy donghyuck  
( _17:45_ )

Mark assumes "ohmwhpc" stands for Jeno's ridiculous title, Operation something or other, and he feels a little embarrassed that now Renjun, someone he's never talked to, knows about it. His excitement at having the chance to talk to Donghyuck overpowers the embarrassment though, and he replies to Jeno with an "awesome, proud of you dude" and a thumbs up emoji. 

Taeyong comes home with a black eye and a split lip. Luckily for him, their mother has already gone to bed, exhausted. But Mark had stayed up to do some more homework (A levels pile the work on until you're drowning in it), and he nearly has a fit when he sees his brother walk through the door.

"What the fuck happened to you?" He bursts out, running to Taeyong and inspecting his face.

"Did something I shouldn't have." Taeyong mutters. "It's fine."

"It's clearly not fine!" Mark runs to the freezer to grab the only suitable thing in there, half a bag of frozen peas, and brings it back to Taeyong, who is still standing in the doorway. He feels stupid for even suggesting it, but he needs to protect his brother in any way he can. "Is Dongyoung abusing you?"

"No, of course not." Taeyong says dismissively, sinking onto the sofa and pressing the peas to his face. He winces at the pain.

"It kinda looks like it." Mark pushes, wanting to get some information from Taeyong.

"Well it's not!" The elder man snaps. "Sorry. But I promise that's not it. Doyoung... He's got some family issues. I got involved and all it did was make things worse, but I got off lightly. Doyoungie didn't."

Oh. That's not what Mark expected. "Is he okay?"

"He said he'll text me later, if he can. If not I'm going over there to get him out myself." Taeyong spits the last few words out, not even perturbed by the blood welling up in his lip as a result, looking fiercely protective.

Mark doesn't question him any further, not sure that he wants to hear the answers.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday pass in a blur, and the day Mark is to go watch the performance of "Romeo and Juliet" comes quicker than expected. On the Friday he can barely concentrate on his lessons- luckily he only has Music Tech and English along with three free periods. Taeyong notices his distraction in English, frowning at him, and Mark wishes for the umpteenth time that his brother wasn't so perceptive. After school, he runs home to get changed, wanting to make a good impression on Donghyuck when they meet (properly) for the first time. Taeyong is already there, with food waiting on the table. His brother has dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, but he's brushed and styled his hair, making him look casual and impossibly handsome. Mark approves of the outfit, and tells Taeyong this as he wolfs down the food. He's dressed in something similar himself, but he doesn't think he'd ever be able to look as good as his elder brother.

Taeyong leaves first to meet Dongyoung, and Mark stays at home for a few minutes checking that he hasn't got any food on his face (he gets extra nervous about that sort of thing sometimes). Once he's certain that he looks fine, he leaves to go meet up with Jeno and Renjun. They both look nice, and he follows them from a distance like he promised, not wanting to ruin their image as they walk back to the school, the spitting image of a perfect couple. They buy their tickets at the door, and Mark, having caught up, starts chatting to the both of them about the environmental damage that the use of disposable paper tickets brings about. Jeno rolls his eyes, but Renjun actually continues the conversation, and when they grab seats near the back and the shortest leaves to go to the loo, Mark says to Jeno, "You picked a good one, bro." Jeno replies, "I know." attempting an air of nonchalance, but the huge grin on his face implies that he's over the moon that his best friend approves of his boyfriend.

Renjun returns quickly, and the lights go out at that moment, signalling that the play is about to start. That's when Mark spots Taeyong, sat a few rows in front of him with his hand on Dongyoung's thigh and the other man's head resting on his shoulder. Taeyong is looking down at him with such an expression of affection that it makes Mark feel a little silly to have thought that there was something wrong with their relationship.

He turns his attention to the stage just as the voice starts speaking.

Mark manages to watch the play with a little more focus the second time around, although he's still not able to tear his eyes away from Donghyuck when the boy comes on stage as Mercutio. He notices that  Jaemin, the boy Jeno had mentioned that plays Tybalt, is also an amazing actor, even in the scene where Tybalt kills Mercutio. Some time towards the end of the play, there's movement in front of him, and when he looks, Taeyong is leading Dongyoung by the hand towards the exit at the back of the hall. He wonders what that might be about.

Then "Romeo and Juliet" is finished, the curtain falls and the lights go back on. Mark takes a second to remember where he is, before he turns to Jeno and Renjun. Jeno has an arm loosely slung around Renjun's shoulders, and they both sport wide smiles on their faces.

"Donghyuck and Jaemin will meet us outside, we just have to wait a while." Renjun says to him, leaning into Jeno's side and making no move to stand up. Mark, however, isn't so content to stay where he is, so he stands, prompting the other two to move as well. They make their way outside, Jeno offering Renjun his jacket (Mark hides his laughter behind a well-timed cough), and they wait as the dusk turns to night and most people leave, before two boys jog up to them.

Mark smiles at Jaemin because it's polite, noticing that the boy is tall, and the first thing he does is threaten Jeno with "a world of pain" if he hurts Renjun - "Hey Jeno, we're buddies right? I just want to let you know that my love for Injunnie far outweighs the friendship we have, and I have a number of opportunities to kill you in Economics."  He then introduces himself to Mark politely, and the eldest replies in kind, shaking the hand offered to him. He congratulates the both of them for how well they did in the play, Jaemin taking the opportunity to joke about how he enjoyed killing Donghyuck, but Mark is barely listening because his gaze is already fixed on Donghyuck. "Hi."

"Hi." Donghyuck says in response, smiling at him, and Mark doesn't think he'll ever be able to get over that smile. Donghyuck is wearing what he'd previously worn on the stage, a loose shirt made of thin white material and breeches (Mark can  _hear_  Taeyong in his mind pointing out that nobles such as Mercutio would have worn something much fancier), in stark contrast to Jaemin who seems more prepared for the chilly wind. "I don't know whether you remember, but I'm the person who bumped into you the other day, which I'm really sorry for."

"I remember." Mark says, feeling a gentle smile pull at his lips at the memory. "It's fine. Donghyuck, right?" The younger boy nods at him, orange hair that teeters on the edge of being too bright for school shaking with the motion.

"Well, would you look at that," Jaemin says, "my mum's here to pick to me up. Well, I'll see you guys later. It was nice meeting you, Mark. Jeno Lee-" he points towards his own eyes with two fingers, then at Jeno, "one wrong move against Injunnie and you're dead." Jeno gulps nervously as the other boy jogs towards a car on the other side of the car park.

"You know," Donghyuck drawls, directing his words at Jeno, "I may not be as vocal about it, but I'm just as prepared as Jaemin to hurt you, if not more." Renjun rolls his eyes at him. "Stop scaring him off already, it's not as if I can't look after myself." He complains, and leans further into Jeno to comfort him. The taller relaxes, having previously appeared terrified.

Donghyuck pretends to gag, before shivering almost imperceptibly, but Mark notices, eyes fixed to the younger's every movement. "Do you... do you want to wear my coat?" He offers hesitantly, and feels bad for previously laughing at Jeno as he does so. Donghyuck opens his mouth, about to refuse, so the older carries on. "I have my jumper on underneath, so I won't get cold or anything." The boy still looks like he wants to turn down the offer, but shuts his mouth again, so Mark shrugs his coat off and holds it out. Donghyuck takes it with a shaking hand, putting it on and wrapping himself in it. He looks infinitely cuter swaddled in Mark's own jacket.

Suddenly he turns, and the elder also turns to see what's got his attention. It turns out to be the silhouette of Renjun and Jeno's sprinting figures - running away from them. Mark shouts after them,wondering how he didn't hear their footsteps, "What are you doing?"

Voice only ever so slightly shaky despite running at top speed, Jeno yells back, "Seventeen missed calls from my mum!"

Mark shrugs. "Fair enough bro!" Then his brain catches up with him, he realises that it was probably a setup, and he sighs. When he looks back at Donghyuck, the younger is staring at him with a mixture of astonishment and disgust on his face. "You call each other  _bro_?" He asks.

"Uhh, yeah. Is it a bad thing?"

Donghyuck groans, putting his face in his hands before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I knew I never should have let Jeno date Injunnie. Guys who call each other bro are the 'coolest' of the 'cool', dumb jocks who are probably  _hetero_." He emphasises "coolest" and "cool" with air quotes, and says "hetero" with an air of mock distaste.

"Hey, we're not that bad, and Jeno's definitely not hetero." Mark protests. "At least I didn't take PE for A level."

"You did PE at GCSE though, right? And Jeno did take it for AS?"

"Well, yeah, but we're not  _that_  cool. Nowhere near as cool as Yukhei- who isn't straight either."

Donghyuck's face clouds over at the mention of Yukhei. "Smarmy git." He mutters, before changing the subject. "Whereabouts do you live?" Mark tells him, and he says, "That's on the way to my place, so I can walk you home." He smiles that smile that's had Mark weak since he first saw it, and they start walking. The older's mind is racing because he's walking home with Donghyuck and this is more than he ever could have dreamed of.

"Yukhei's definitely a  _cool_  guy, but he's decent. We're friends." Mark pursues the original topic, wanting to know what had caused Donghyuck's expression to change so drastically.

"He's a player."

"Not anymore, he's absolutely besotted with Jungwoo now."

"The ex-Head Boy? _Really_?" Donghyuck quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. Nobody has any idea how they ended up dating, though. What have you got against him anyway?"

"Last year, I really fancied him." Donghyuck suddenly becomes very interested in his feet. "He turned me down, said he didn't want a relationship, then I saw him out with a girl the next day."

Mark winces. "Ouch." He tries to find something to say that will placate the younger. "Well, maybe he thought you were too young for him, and didn't want to be condescending about it?"

"Mark." The orange haired boy stops walking and leans closer to him, and Mark also stops in alarm, forgetting how to breathe. "Would  _you_  think I'm too young for you?"

"No." The taller boy whispers, running a hand through his light brown hair nervously. Then he clears his throat, and speaks louder. "No I wouldn't."

"Exactly!" Donghyuck exclaims, leaning away and continuing to walk like nothing had happened. "He just wasn't interested in me, although I'd have preferred for him to tell me that outright instead of messing with me like that." Mark takes a second to remember how to move and walks after him.

"Even though he can be a little inconsiderate sometimes, he's a nice guy. He'd never intentionally hurt anyone."

Donghyuck makes a noncommittal noise. "I'm over it anyway." He shrugs. "It just stung a little, I guess."

They don't speak again after that until they reach Mark's house. The younger is already taking his coat off and reaching to hand it to him before Mark says "Why not take it with you and bring it back to me on Monday at school?"

"It looks expensive." Donghyuck protests.

"I don't want you to be cold in only that flimsy shirt." Mark argues, but the boy looks adamant, so he sighs. "Okay, why don't you come in for a few minutes while I find you a jumper to take with you?" He would offer Donghyuck the one he's wearing but he worries that it might smell of sweat, which is not attractive in the least.

Donghyuck reluctantly agrees, and follows him up the path. As they approach, Mark's hand goes to his pocket for his keys, until he stops abruptly.

He can hear Taeyong saying something in a low voice behind the door, before a voice that is unmistakably Dongyoung's exclaims, loudly, " _Taeyong_ \- can you please just fucking listen to me for once?!" before he is stopped abruptly, and there is a thud against the door. Mark stands there for a few moments, wondering whether he should intervene, but decides that he definitely should not after he hears whispering and giggling less than a metre away from him.

Mark steps away from the doorstep rapidly, whispering, "Oh my God, I have no idea what they're doing, but I do not want to interrupt them."  He can feel his face burning. Donghyuck giggles behind his hand, grabs Mark's arm and then they're running back down the path and away from the house, laughing.

They run and run and run, shoes thumping noisily on the tarmac, until they reach the local park. There, Donghyuck releases his grip on Mark's arm to sit on a swing in the playground and catch his breath. Mark himself is barely even out of breath, having been on the school's cross-country team from years Eight to Eleven. "Was that Doyoung?" the younger asks when he's recovered.

"Yeah," Mark replies, "my brother asked him out like two weeks ago. They seem pretty close for such a short amount of time." Donghyuck laughs again, a big, carefree sound, and Mark likes it a lot, makes a mental note that he should make Donghyuck laugh more. He sits down on the swing adjacent to that of the other boy, and plucks his phone from his pocket.

hey dude ill be back in abt an hour if thats enough time for u   
( _20:32_ )

next time u wanna do whatever the hell u were doing with dongyoung pls dont do it against the door thx  
( _20:33_ )

As he expected, Taeyong doesn't reply, and Mark sighs. "I'm stuck out here for an hour before I can go home." He tells Donghyuck.

"What a shame." The younger says, although his expression suggests that his thoughts don't match his words. "I guess I'll just have to keep you company then, if you can bear my presence for that amount of time."

Mark chuckles. "Won't your parents be worried?"

"Not if I call them right now." Donghyuck says, cheerfully. "You owe me one." He takes out his phone and soon brings it to his ear. Mark, unnoticed by the other, gets off the swing and moves behind Donghyuck whilst the latter speaks.

"Hi Dad! I'm just calling to let you know that I'll be back a little later than I thought I'd be. No, I'm not alone-" He breaks off to look around, shocked, because Mark is pushing his swing. The elder grins down at his alarmed expression, which relaxes into a smile as he keeps talking. "Mark's with me."

Mark continues to push as Donghyuck says, "Mark? He's a new friend of mine." He feels a sudden rush of happiness at being labelled as Donghyuck's friend in such a short time, and he's shocked that he even summoned the courage to look Donghyuck in the eye, let alone talk to him and push his swing.

"Yes I'll be careful, Dad. Bye!" Donghyuck hangs up the call, then turns around. "What are you doing?" He asks through a giggle, and if that isn't the cutest thing Mark's ever seen then you can knock him down with a feather and call him Jonathan. He plants his hands firmly on Donghyuck's back and pushes. "Repaying my debt." He replies, watching the swing move upwards and further away from him with the younger boy on it. It comes back down, so he pushes it again, and it goes even higher and further, until it's almost parallel to the ground and Donghyuck yelps, laughing and telling Mark to slow him down.

Mark does just that, holding the strings until the swing loses its momentum and he pushes Donghyuck gently. The latter turns his head to look at him again. "I haven't been pushed on a swing since I was tiny." His face is radiating with contentment, and he glows. Mark thinks he may be taking after his brother a bit too much when he feels the urge to compare Donghyuck to the sun.  "I think your debt has been repaid. Thank you."

"My pleasure." Mark says. He means it to come off as teasing, but he thinks that perhaps he might be more transparent than he previously thought, as Donghyuck's eyes widen almost imperceptibly, so that if you weren't paying attention you wouldn't notice it at all. Instead of mentioning it, he retreats to the swing next to Donghyuck's.

"Um," the younger starts, turning to face Mark. "you said earlier that Jeno's definitely not hetero, but you never mentioned yourself, so if you don't mind me asking...?" Mark's not sure what to think of that; is it perhaps a good sign that Donghyuck's interested in his sexuality, or is he reading too much into it?

"Well," he says slowly, trying to formulate a coherent sentence in his head, "I'm not really sure." He assumes he's imagining the crestfallen expression that flittered across Donghyuck's face- but he hurries to clarify just in case he isn't. "I'm pretty sure that I'm not straight, though."

Donghyuck smiles, and Mark adjusts his statement in his mind: he's absolutely not straight.

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed it  
> my twitter: https://twitter.com/thestarsalone  
> my cc: https://curiouscat.me/dotae_stars  
> my new tumblr: https://thestarsalonecantell.tumblr.com/  
> or leave kudos/ a comment! have a great day/evening/night :))))))))


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